Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Lily Kate's Second Birthday

I had SO much fun with Lily Kate's second birthday party! I was always obsessed with mermaids as a child and since the latest release of The Little Mermaid on DVD, there has been a boom of mermaids... everywhere! It was the perfect time for a mermaid party!

(I designed her invitations myself. These will soon be available in my Etsy shop!)

We visited a local bounce house one Saturday last fall and LK had so much fun that we decided to have her party there. The venue also caters so it was the perfect low-stress party that I was looking for. (Helloooo -- we JUST finished all the Christmas chaos!)

The only problem is that they were pretty strict with what we could bring. Since they are a catering venue, we couldn't bring any outside food except cake and cupcakes. I was a little aggravated at first, but I just kept thinking, "Relax and just make this easy, Ashley!"

Benjie made the stand for the fabric banner in less than 30 minutes. We painted it and I tied the fabric strips on the day before the party. It ended up being super easy and was the perfect backdrop we were looking for since we couldn't hang anything on the walls.

If you remember last year, we had a terrible cake fiasco -- since we weren't able to use our normal bakery due to them being closed the week after Christmas. Well since her second birthday party was after the New Year, we were able to use our *amazing* local bakery. I was SO happy with the cake this year. We also ordered a few extra cupcakes to match. They were both so sparkly and girly! I got the cupcake stands on clearance at Homegoods (they were Halloween-colored) and spray-painted them to match.

I got most of the sparkly things on the Christmas clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby.

For her outfit, I first found the leggings on Zulily -- and I was SO excited because they match the invitation colors PERFECT! I then found the mermaid(ish) skirt on sale at Target. I designed her shirt with the adorable mermaid girl and had it printed locally. (I wish now that I had done something else with her hair besides a bow because it never would stay in as hard as she was playing... We've *almost* passed this awkward toddler hair phase.)

Since I couldn't really decorate more than just a table with a cake, I had a little more in my budget to do some fun take-home favors. I found the buckets at Dollar Tree for 2/$1. I did a pirate bucket for the boys and a mermaid bucket for the girls. I think they turned out super cute! I found the most adorable mermaid/pirate crayons at Target for $1! I found small brushes for the girls and added a pink seahorse with my Silhouette vinyl machine. I added girly play jewelry and candy. The boys had fake pirate "treasure" money, eye patches, candy and a treasure map.

I honestly can't believe how fast Lily Kate is growing up. I mean, we're already 2 months into her third year -- only 10 months until she turns THREE!

(I intentionally blurred out the other kids -- not meant to be a horrible fake bokeh job. Ha!)

My name is Ashley and I am a passionate business owner with a heart to create and a love for design. I am a wife to a hard-working man, mom to a spunky little girl and newborn twins, and a daughter of our Holy and Merciful God. I am a southern small-town girl who grew up on a 70 acre farm, learning the basics of life. I have a love for all things sweet, slow, and southern.

I'm an architect turned stay-at-home mom / graphic designer. I love decorating our home, baking sweet chocolate-y things, and shopping with my mom. I also have a new-found love for photography and I love capturing my children through all the sweet little childhood stages. I love anything plaid, gingham, or a beautiful shade of sea foam green. I have an addiction to sweet tea and I'd wear sandals year 'round if it was socially acceptable.

For collaborations or just to say "hi!", email me at: godblessournest@yahoo.com**IMPORTANT**Feel free to "Pin" away at any images of my crafts, food, or home, but please do not "Pin" any pictures of me, my family, or my children. Most of you moms will understand! (I do have the capability of preventing any pinning from my blog, but I don't want to do that unless I have to!) Thanks y'all!